Sunday, 22 March 2009

Who runs Zambia?

This exchange in Parliament between two former occupants of the Finance Ministry and the Vice President on the windfall tax is quite revealing. I am particularly worried that rather than putting forward a reasonable defence for removing the windfall tax (if one exists), the Vice President appears to suggest that the dispute with the mining companies is at the heart of the decision, making the Executive Branch appear to be a puppet of foreign companies.

Member of parliament last Friday engaged in a heated debate as they considered the Income Tax (Ammendment) Bill which seeks to suspend the windfall tax on the mines among other things. Several parliamentarians from the opposition and a few from the government argued that the tax should be maintained.

Chilanga MMD member of parliament Ng'andu Magande advised the government not to abandon the windfall tax that was introduced last year on the mining sector. Magande, who is also immediate former finance minister, said removing the windfall tax would put the government at a loss in the event that the price of copper went up on the international market.

"I remember that some time last week, His Honour the Vice-President advised former and serving government officials to maintain their oath of secrecy which they swore when they assumed office. Indeed I do agree with the learned Vice-President who is also the Minister of Justice that there are critical issues which should be granted such secrecy," Magande said.

"Right now I am in a difficult situation wondering that with all the knowledge I have acquired in my service for the Zambian public can I keep quiet because of the oath of secrecy as emphasised by the Vice-President? I want to assure the learned counsel and Minister of Justice that we will keep secrets valuable, but let us also remember that we have to give value to our people.

"On windfall tax I will keep no secrets. May I urge my colleagues in government to consult the team of experts we had assembled to look into the affairs of the mines. We constituted a team of 15 experts including Mr [Evans] Chibiliti, and they are all still in government. You can consult them, they will show you how we came up with the windfall tax."

Magande advised the government to maintain the windfall tax in the law, saying it could easily be adjusted. "We don't need to remove this windfall tax from our statute books, it's self adjusting. We have a law in our statute books, which says that anyone who commits suicide commits a crime. But my question has always been that if I commit suicide that means I am already dead, so how does a dead person commit a crime? You see, this is the law we have maintained. So what nuisance is there in us keeping the windfall tax in our statute books?" Magande asked.

"Yes, I'm aware that sometimes we ignore advice even when it's good. And sometimes those of us who advise are being told that we are wrong by those we advise. This makes one wonder who is really wrong. But since the Vice-President has promised this House that they will consult, I urge them to seriously consider keeping the windfall tax."

And Katuba MMD member of parliament Jonas Shakafuswa accused the current administration of abandoning the Levy Mwanawasa legacy. "This government is discontinuing with the legacy of Mwanawasa. When we campaigned we campaigned on the basis of continuity. But what we are seeing now is a shift from what our late president had believed in. I know that [the] Vice-President is nodding his head. Yes, winning you might win, but it doesn't mean that you have it all," Shakafuswa said.

"Even if we are coerced into voting I don't want to go against my conscience, I would rather side with the people on this issue. We should remember that the windfall tax was meant to give relief to people who service government through Pay As You Earn. Maybe people who were new didn't understand it.

"We have to be careful with our kindness to these foreign investors. Let's remember that we sold the mines for almost nothing and within a year the people who bought the mines got back their money and made huge profits. Those investors should not take government for granted.

They should know that in business there are ups and downs. When the price of copper was good, they made a lot of profits and they stashed this money in their banks outside the country. These people can go ahead and develop India, China, UK and we remain begging. Our children won't see the benefits of these minerals, they will only see holes from where the minerals were dug. Maybe somebody was bought, maybe somebody was given something."

But Vice-President George Kunda vowed that the Bill would not be withdrawn from Parliament.

"We are not saying that mining companies will not pay tax. But we have considered certain circumstances. Mining companies declared a dispute with us over the windfall tax. Some of them have paid this tax, others have not. So we have decided to go for arbitration with regard to tax. We must make investment attractive to investors, especially those who are keeping jobs," Vice-President Kunda said.

"This Bill if withdrawn will throw the budget off balance. If the issue of windfall tax is something, which is of concern it would require ourselves to go back and consult. We are determined at this stage to proceed with this Bill. It has several meaningful provisions. For example, the CDF [Constituency Development Fund] is coming from the tax measures instituted. I know you are determined to fight but there is a lot we can benefit from this Bill. There is CDF where a lot of us MPs can benefit by building clinics, hospitals and schools."

The debate later led into a division where members of parliament voted on whether to pass the Bill to committee stage or not. The Executive won by 63 votes to 54, and the Bill was passed into committee stage where it would be considered on Wednesday next week.

2 comments:

Accoring to VP George Kunda, giving up on hundreds of millions (remember the projected $413 million) is ok, because...:

For example, the CDF [Constituency Development Fund] is coming from the tax measures instituted. I know you are determined to fight but there is a lot we can benefit from this Bill. There is CDF where a lot of us MPs can benefit by building clinics, hospitals and schools."

I'm sorry, but is that a bribe to MPs, that if they vote for an end to the windfall tax, they may get CDF funds?

George Kunda, who never goes out in publica without wearing sunglasses, oozes corruption. His very mentality is one of handing out bribes - and I'm sure taking them.

In the words of MP Jonas Shakafuswa:

Maybe somebody was bought, maybe somebody was given something."

I suggest The Post and anyone in government should pore over the financial affairs of VP Kunda. I am very sure they will come up with something. The same for the Mines Minister and the present Finance Minister.

These people are supposed to watch out for the interests of the Zambian people, not foreign corporations. They have done nothing except bend over backwards to ensure the exploitation of Zambia's resources by foreigners.

I remember last month, Kunda saying that liberation era heroes (as few of them as there still are left) will not receive one cent. What kind of inverse morality is that, except a corruption that goes to the very core.

VP George Kunda's attempt to intimidate his opposition may backfire. By claiming that, according to the Times, "the Government was aware that there were some prominent people in society who were practising homosexuality but further urged the public with information of some actors of the vice to report them to the relevant wings. . . 'There are people in society who are involved in these acts and some could be lawyers, engineers, journalists and if you have information of others please let us know,'" he may be inadvertently turning away many of the very same socially conscious investors that the Government claims to be courting. Does the honorable Vice President have any idea how much disposable income homosexuals in developed economies possess? Is he aware of how much they spend on travel and tourism every year? Does it occur to him that such individuals may be in powerful decision-making positions throughout the international market system (and not just in stereotypical segments like fresh flowers, furniture or cosmetics, though that in and of itself ought to be enough to give a rational politician pause), not to mention media? California is the world's 5th largest economy, ever heard of Harvey Milk?

Since he offered no actual proof, nor made any specific allegations, yet felt it relevant to mention his desire to investigate and prosecute in Parliament, with 15 year prison sentences a minimum for those found guilty, I can only conclude that this was a blatant attempt to bully and intimidate his political opponents with the threat of false allegations. The call for informants only confirms that he has no real charges to proffer, but rather is motivated solely by personal malice and revenge. This dictatorial attempt to stifle the voices of experienced professionals in society with insinuations that arbitrary prosecution and imprisonment might be the price for attracting the ire of the Vice President's office is outrageous, and will do nothing to inspire international confidence in the sincerity of decentralization or anti-corruption efforts.

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